I couldn't believe the size of this filter when I opened the box from Amazon. My wife was right there and I knew she was right.

Her: what's that?
Me: the fitler
Her: the filter for WHAT?
Me: the tank?
both of us: hahahaha, yeah, no way

This is like 10 times bigger than I was expecting and will probably take 1/3 of the tank. In fact, I don't think it'd even fit front to back. If it would, it'd be pushing up on both the front and back glass.

Im not crazy about the sponge quality of Lees. They are ok for sure but not the best jmho. I have started to baffle my sponge filters to see if I can make such little disturbance on the surface that my boys can make nests ect with the filter on. It also allows me to run the air pump faster than I did before. You can pick up these feeder rings from most lfs very cheap that are designed to float and attach to the tank. It has worked amazingly well for me.

I have one problem with these filters: noise. They are probably a great alternative to the usual internal power filters I use but, since all my tanks are in my bedroom, I would worry that the noise from the air pump and bubbles would keep me from falling asleep. Does anyone have any experience with this or know any quiet air pumps?

I have two air pumps operating and they are quieter than two currently operating HOB filters. I discovered that the noise level is largely dependent on where the pump is located. If the pump is located on a cabinet or bookcase shelf the noise is magnified. I relocated the pumps to the floor under the shelves they had been on. That helped reduced the sound that I heard.

Placing the pumps on a sound absorbent pad (something like a kitchen sponge or a sheet of neoprene, bubble pack or the equivalent) on a shelf may also reduce the sound perceived.

I have never had a HOB filter so I can't really make a comparison (I think internal power filters are much more common than HOBs in Europe because I have yet to see a HOB for sale in any pet stores here). I like the sound of DIY sponge filters so I will look into making one of those once I have bought an air pump. Perhaps a (very large) sponge filter could be used in a pond? My pond, even though it is filtered, is very murky and perhaps a sponge filter could help clear it up.